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Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-5 II

Portability
56
Imaging
44
Features
56
Overall
48
Olympus E-3 front
 
Pentax K-5 II front
Portability
60
Imaging
58
Features
82
Overall
67

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-5 II Key Specs

Olympus E-3
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 890g - 142 x 116 x 75mm
  • Launched February 2008
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-1
  • Updated by Olympus E-5
Pentax K-5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Boost to 51200)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 760g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Revealed June 2013
  • Earlier Model is Pentax K-5
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Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-5 II Overview

Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-3 versus Pentax K-5 II, both Advanced DSLR digital cameras by companies Olympus and Pentax. There exists a substantial gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and K-5 II (16MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and K-5 II (APS-C) boast totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-3 was revealed 6 years before the K-5 II and that is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have the same body design (Mid-size SLR).

Before delving into a more detailed comparison, here is a simple overview of how the E-3 grades against the K-5 II with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-3 over the Pentax K-5 II

 E-3 K-5 II 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Pentax K-5 II over the Olympus E-3

 K-5 II E-3 
RevealedJune 2013February 2008More recent by 64 months
Display dimensions3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution921k230kClearer display (+691k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-3 and Pentax K-5 II

 E-3 K-5 II 
Manual focus Very accurate focus
Touch display Lack of Touch display

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-5 II Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to lug around your camera often, you have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-3 enjoys outer dimensions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") with a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) and the Pentax K-5 II has specifications of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") accompanied by a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-3 versus Pentax K-5 II in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are working with at that time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the E-3 and the K-5 II.

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-5 II size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-3 and K-5 II is 56 and 60 respectively.

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-5 II top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-5 II Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's difficult to envision the gap between sensor measurements purely by reading specifications. The visual below may offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-3 and K-5 II.

Plainly, the 2 cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-3 having a tinier sensor will make shooting shallower DOF harder and the Pentax K-5 II will deliver greater detail because of its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop pics more aggressively. The older E-3 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-5 II sensor size comparison

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-5 II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-5 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-3 Portrait photography factors
Pentax K-5 II Portrait photography factors
56
you can focus manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
MP count low (10MP)
74
has manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
features face detection focus
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-3 Street photography features
Pentax K-5 II Street photography features
69
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
environment sealing
67
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW files
weather sealing
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-3
Sports photography with Pentax K-5 II
57
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
environment sealing
supports phase detect auto focus
slow frames per second (5.0 frames/s)
MP count low (10 megapixels)
79
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
features tracking autofocus
weather sealing
supports phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-3 Travel photography highlights
Pentax K-5 II Travel photography highlights
55
environment sealing
built-in flash
screen is selfie friendly
missing Timelapse recording
MP count low (10MP)
65
weather sealing
resolution is good (16MP)
flash built-in
does not offer selfie friendly display
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-3 Landscape photography information
Pentax K-5 II Landscape photography information
56
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
environment sealing
screen is somewhat small (2.5 inch)
MP count low (10 megapixels)
missing Timelapse recording
79
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW files
weather sealing
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-3 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-5 II as a Vlogging camera
18
can't record video
33
image stabilization (Sensor based)
features face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with external microphone support
does not offer selfie friendly display
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Olympus E-3 vs Pentax K-5 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-3 and Pentax K-5 II
 Olympus E-3Pentax K-5 II
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus E-3 Pentax K-5 II
Type Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Launched 2008-02-20 2013-06-04
Physical type Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III Prime II
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2
Peak resolution 3648 x 2736 4928 x 3264
Highest native ISO 3200 12800
Highest enhanced ISO - 51200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Minimum enhanced ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 11 11
Cross focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Pentax KAF2
Number of lenses 45 151
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display size 2.5 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech - TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x 0.61x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 5.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 13.00 m 13.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, High speed, Rear curtain and Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (25 fps), 1280 x 720 (25, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (25, 30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 890g (1.96 lb) 760g (1.68 lb)
Physical dimensions 142 x 116 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 131 x 97 x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 56 82
DXO Color Depth score 21.6 23.8
DXO Dynamic range score 10.5 14.1
DXO Low light score 571 1235
Other
Battery life - 980 pictures
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse feature
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Retail price $670 $830